Protective helmet



Feb. 2, 1965 WOLFE PROTECTIVE HELMET Filed June '7, 1963 INVENTOR Lindsay Wolfe Dim/9 W United States Patent 3,167,783 PROTECTIVE IELMET Lindsay Wolfe, Swarthrnore, Pa., assignor to American Baseball Cap, Inc, Pittsburgh, Pa, acorporatiou of Pennsylvania Filed June 7, 1963, Ser. No. 236,257 2 Claims. (Cl. 29)

This invention relates to a'protective helmet and particularly to a protective helmet of the general type worn by players participating in'atheltic games. I My protective helmet has been designed primarily to be worn by lacrosse players but has other uses.

I provide a protective helmet comprising a cap, a face guard and a pivotal connection between the cap and the face guard at the front of the cap about which the face guard maybe swung outwardly and upwardly when the helmet is to be put on and taken off. Preferably the cap has a visor or bill at its front and the face guard is pivotally connected to the visor. Means are provided connecting the sides of the face guard to the cap' to'fasten the face guard in position covering the face when the helmet is being worn.

Separable fastening means are preferably provided connecting the sides of the face guard to the cap to fasten the face guard in position covering the face when the helmet is being Worn and the face guard is desirably provided with padding on the inside thereof (i.e., the side next the wearers face) to protect the wearer against injury when the face guard is pressed toward the wearers face with sufiicient force to separate the separable fasten ing means and cause the face guard to swing inwardly about the pivotal connection between the cap and the face guard.

The face guard desirably has a connecting portion at its top extending toward the cap immediately above the visor, the connecting portion being pivotally connected to the top of the visor. A chin strap preferably extends across the front of the cap and is connected with the cap at both sides independently of the face guard.

The connecting portion of the face guard which extends toward the cap immediately above the visor preferably has a transversely extending element, and a bracket may be connected atop the visor having a portion in which the transversely extending element of the connecting portion of the face guard is pivotally mounted enabling the face guard to be swung outwardly and upwardly when the helmet is to be put on and taken off.

My protective helmet ispreferably internally padded and desirably has portions covering the wearers ears, the face guard and chin strap being connected to those portions. The cap is made of stiff protective material such as fibrous glass or plastic. The helmet is comfortable to the wearer and affords effective protection against injury due to the wearer being struck about the head. At the same time the helmet is easily put on and taken off by swinging the face guard outwardly and upwardly about its pivotal connection with the visor., The face guard is preferably made of wire covered with plastic coating to prevent injury tothe wearer by contact of the wire with the Wearers face or, head. i

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of a present preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

in the accompanying drawings I have showna present preferred embodiment of the invention in which FIGURE 1 is a front view of a portective helmet 0on structed in accordance with my invention; and

FIGURE Z is a side view of the protective helmet shown in FIGURE 1. 7

snares Patented Feb. 2, 1965 The cap may be die-formed and is thin and light in weight but strong so as to absorb blows without cracking. The I cap 2 has a main head covering portion 3 with integral generally downwardly extending ear covering portions 4 t at opposite sides, a downwardly extending portion 5 at the rear protecting the back of the wearers neck and a visor 6 at the front. The entire inside of the cap except the visor is covered with relatively soft padding or protective material, preferably foam rubber, which may be applied as a lining and adhesively maintainedin place in the cap. The lining is designated generally by reference numeral 28. Openings '7 are provided in the portions 4 of the cap which cover the ears and in the lining inside those portions to enable the wearer of the helmet to hear while still protecting his ears against injury.

The helmet is provided with a chin strap 8 which extends transversely thereof and is fastened to the opposed portions 4 by snap fasteners 9. The length of the chin strap is adjustable by buckles 10 and it includes a pocket 11 for the wearers chin with openings 12 therein.

The helmet is provided with a face guard designated generally by reference numeral 13. The face guard is preferably made of wire covered with plastic. It includes a portion 14 at the front of the face guard which when the helmet is being worn is disposed generally in front of the wearers mouth from which extends upwardly a portion 15 which is integral with a connecting portion 16 extending from the top of the portion 15 toward the cap immediately above the visor 6. Fastened atop the'visor d by any suitable fastening means such as a rivet or bolt 17 is a bracket 18 having a hollow generally cylindrical portion 19. The extremity of the portion 16 has a transversely extending element 26 which is pivotally mounted in the portion 19 of the bracket so that theface guard 13 may be swung outwardly and upwardly about the axis of the portion E9 of the bracket '18 when the helmet is to put on and taken off.

The portion 14 of the face guard has extensions 21 extending to both sides and a connecting device such as 'a leather strap 22 is fastened to each extension 21 as by a rivet 23 and is adapted to be fastened to the portions 4 of the cap by snap fasteners 2d. The male portion of a snap fastener is mounted on each portion 4 of the helmet.

and two female portions of a snap fastener are carried by each strap 22 so that a selected female portion may be used with the male portion at each side of the helmet whereby adjustment is provided for the comfort and proper fitting of the wearer.v

Normally the face guard will be maintained in proper position by the straps 22 which have some stiffness yet are flexible under substantial force, but in case the face guard should be pressed toward the wearers face with sufficient force to separate the snap fasteners by which it is fastened to the portions i of the cap so that the face guard moves towardthe face of the wearer a pad 25 of soft material such as rubber orsoft plastic is fastened to the inside of the portion 14 of the face guard by straps as and snap fasteners 27. Thus in the event of a frontal blow against the face guard havingsufiicient force to separate the snap fasteners fastening the face guard to the portions 4 of the cap the pad 25 rather than wire of the face guard will engage the front of the Wearers face.

The face guard can be swung up about the axis of the portion 1% of the bracket 18 to a position completely clear Q of the wearers face and. head when the helmet is put Referring now more particularly. to thedrawings, my

on and taken off. Once the helmet is put on the face guard is swung down in front of the wearers face and fastened to the portions 4 of the cap by the snap fasteners.

The chin strap is separately fastened to the cap so that separation of theisnap fasteners fastening the face guard to the cap does not unfasten the chin strap.

While I have shown and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention it is to be distinctly under- .stood that the invention is not limited thereto but may the wearer against blows by a lacrosse stick and a face guard fastened to the cap and disposed at the front thereof to protectthe face of the wearer, the upperportion of the face guard being connected to the bill of the cap,

the connection between theupper portion ofthe face guard and the bill of the cap being a pivotal connection having an axis eirtending transversely of the bill of the cap enabling the face guard to be swung. outwardly and upwardly about such axis when the helmet is to be put,

on or taken off the head ofthe'wearer. V

2. A protective lacrosse helmet astclaimed in claim 1 in which the face guard has a portion extending upwardly and then inwardly over the top of the bill of the cap where it is connected with the bill of the cap by said pivotal connection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 817,075 Lavis Apr. 3, 1906 2,100,553 Schutt NOV. 30, 1937 2302231 Lobelle NOV. 17, 1942 2,718,006 Bowers r i Sept. 20, 1955 2,890,457 Marietta .lunexl6, 1959 2,918,060 Lobelle Dec. 22, 1959 3,041,623

Glahe ul 3, 1962 

1. A PROTECTIVE LACROSSE HELMET COMPRISING A CAP OF STIFF SHOCK ABSORBING MATERIAL HAVING A HEAD COVERING PORTION AND A BILL PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM THE HEAD COVERING PORTION AT THE FRON THEREOF TO SHADE THE EYES OF THE WEARER AND PROTECT THE UPPER PORTION OF THE FACE OF THE WEARER AGAINST BLOWS BY A LACROSSE STICK AND A FACE GUARD FASTENED TO THE CAP AND DISPOSED AT THE FRONT THEREOF TO PROTECT THE FACE OF THE WEARER, THE UPPER PORTION OF THE FACE GUARD BEING CONNECTED TO THE BILL OF THE CAP, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE UPPER PORTION OF THE FACE GUARD AND THE BILL OF THE CAP BEING A PIVOTAL CONNECTION HAVING AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE BILL OF THE CAP ENABLING THE FACE GUARD TO BE SWUNG OUTWARDLY AND UPWARDLY ABOUT SUCH AXIS WHEN THE HELMET IS TO BE PUTON OR TAKEN OFF THE HEAD OF THE WEARER. 